Treaty
on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use
of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, 610 U.N.T.S.
205, entered into force, Oct. 10, 1967.

The States Parties to this Treaty,

Inspired by the great prospects opening up before mankind as a result
of man's entry into outer space,

Recognizing the common interest of all mankind in the progress of the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,

Believing that the exploration and use of outer space should be carried
on for the benefit of all peoples irrespective of the degree of their economic
or scientific development,

Desiring to contribute to broad international co-operation in the scientific
as well as the legal aspects of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful
purposes,

Believing that such co-operation will contribute to the development of
mutual understanding and to the strengthening of friendly relations between
States and peoples,

Recalling resolution 1962 (XVIII), entitled 'Declaration of Legal Principles
Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space',
which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December
1963,

Recalling resolution 1884 (XVIII), calling upon States to refrain from
placing in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any
other kinds of weapons of mass destruction or from installing such weapons on
celestial bodies, which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General
Assembly on 17 October 1963,

Taking account of United Nations General Assembly resolution 110 (II)
of 3 November 1947, which condemned propaganda designed or likely to provoke
or encourage any threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression,
and considering that the aforementioned resolution is applicable to outer space,

Convinced that a Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States
in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial
Bodies, will further the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations,

Have agreed on the following:

Article 1

The exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial
bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries,
irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall
be the province of all mankind.

Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for
exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind, on a basis
of equality and in accordance with international law, and there shall be free
access to all areas of celestial bodies.

There shall be freedom of scientific investigation in outer space, including
the Moon and other celestial bodies, and States shall facilitate and encourage
international co-operation in such investigation .

Article 2

Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to
national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation,
or by any other means.

Article 3

States Parties to the Treaty shall carry on activities in the exploration and
use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, in accordance
with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, in the
interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international
co- operation and understanding.

Article 4

States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth
any object carrying nuclear weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction,
install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space
in any other manner.

The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the
Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases,
installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the
conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden. The use
of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes
shall not be prohibited. The use of any equipment or facility necessary for
peaceful exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies shall also not be
prohibited.

Article 5

States Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind in
outer space and shall render to them all possible assistance in the event of
accident, distress, or emergency landing on the territory of another State Party
or on the high seas. When astronauts make such a landing they shall be safely
and promptly returned to the State of registry of their space vehicle.

In carrying on activities in outer space and on celestial bodies, the astronauts
of one State Party shall render all possible assistance to the astronauts of
other States Parties.

States Parties to the Treaty shall immediately inform the other States Parties
to the Treaty or the Secretary-General of the United Nations of any phenomena
they discover in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies,
which could constitute a danger to the life or health of astronauts.

Article 6

States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national
activities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, whether
such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental
entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity
with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty. The activities of nongovernmental
entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall
require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party
to the Treaty. When activities are carried on in outer space, including the
Moon and other celestial bodies, by an international organization, responsibility
for compliance with this Treaty shall be borne both by the international organization
and by the States Parties to the Treaty participating in such organization.

Article 7

Each State Party to the Treaty that launches or procures the launching of an
object into outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and
each State party from whose territory or facility an object is launched, is
internationally liable for damage to another State Party to the Treaty or to
its natural or juridical persons by such object or its component parts on the
Earth, in air space or in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial
bodies.

Article 8

A State Party to the Treaty on whose registry an object launched into outer
space is carried shall retain jurisdiction and control over such object, and
over any personnel thereof, while in outer space or on a celestial body. Ownership
of objects launched into outer space including objects landed or constructed
on a celestial body, and of their component parts, is not affected by their
presence in outer space or on a celestial body or by their return to the Earth.
Such objects or component parts found beyond the limits of the State Party to
the Treaty on whose registry they are carried shall be returned to that State
Party, which shall, upon request, furnish identifying data prior to their return.

Article 9

In the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial
bodies, States Parties to the Treaty shall be guided by the principle of co-operation
and mutual assistance and shall conduct all their activities in outer space,
including the Moon and other celestial bodies, with due regard to the corresponding
interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty. States Parties to the Treaty
shall pursue studies of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial
bodies, and conduct exploration of them so as to avoid their harmful contamination
and also adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the
introduction of extraterrestrial matter and, where necessary, shall adopt appropriate
measures for this purpose. If a State Party to the Treaty has reason to believe
that an activity or experiment planned by it or its nationals in outer space,
including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful
interference with activities of other States Parties in the peaceful exploration
and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, it shall
undertake appropriate international consultations before proceeding with any
such activity or experiment. A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to
believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer
space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially
harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of
outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation
concerning the activity or experiment.

Article 10

In order to promote international co-operation in the exploration and use of
outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, in conformity with
the purposes of this Treaty, the States Parties to the Treaty shall consider
on a basis of equality any request by other States Parties to the Treaty to
be afforded an opportunity to observe the flight of space objects launched by
those States.

The nature of such an opportunity for observation and the conditions under which
it could be afforded shall be determined by agreement between the States concerned.

Article 11

In order to promote international co-operation in the peaceful exploration and
use of outer space, States Parties to the Treaty conducting activities in outer
space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, agree to inform the Secretary-General
of the United Nations as well as the public and the international scientific
community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of the nature, conduct,
locations and results of such activities. On receiving the said information,
the Secretary-General of the United Nations should be prepared to disseminate
it immediately and effectively.

Article 12

All stations, installations, equipment and space vehicles on the Moon and other
celestial bodies shall be open to representatives of other States Parties to
the Treaty on a basis of reciprocity. Such representatives shall give reasonable
advance notice of a projected visit, in order that appropriate consultations
may be held and that maximum precautions may be taken to assure safety and to
avoid interference with normal operations in the facility to be visited.

Article 13

The provisions of this Treaty shall apply to the activities of States Parties
to the Treaty in the exploration and use of outer space including the Moon and
other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by a single State
Party to the Treaty or jointly with other States, including cases where they
are carried on within the framework of international intergovernmental organizations.

Any practical questions arising in connexion with activities carried on by international
intergovernmental organizations in the exploration and use of outer space, including
the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be resolved by the States Parties
to the Treaty either with the appropriate international organization or with
one or more States members of that international organization, which are Parties
to this Treaty.

Article 14

1. This Treaty shall be open to all States for signature. Any State which does
not sign this Treaty before its entry into force in accordance with paragraph
3 of this article may accede to it at any time.

2. This Treaty shall be subject to ratification by signatory States. Instruments
of ratification and instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Governments
of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, which are hereby designated
the Depositary Governments.

3. This Treaty shall enter into force upon the deposit of instruments of ratification
by five Governments including the Governments designated as Depositary Governments
under this Treaty.

4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are deposited subsequent
to the entry into force of this Treaty, it shall enter into force on the date
of the deposit of their instruments of ratification or accession.

5. The Depositary Governments shall promptly inform all signatory and acceding
States of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of each instrument
of ratification of and accession to this Treaty, the date of its entry into
force and other notices.

6. This Treaty shall be registered by the Depositary Governments pursuant to
Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Article 15

Any State Party to the Treaty may propose amendments to this Treaty. Amendments
shall enter into force for each State Party to the Treaty accepting the amendments
upon their acceptance by a majority of the States Parties to the Treaty and
thereafter for each remaining State Party to the Treaty on the date of acceptance
by it.

Article 16

Any State Party to the Treaty may give notice of its withdrawal from the Treaty
one year after its entry into force by written notification to the Depositary
Governments. Such withdrawal shall take effect one year from the date of receipt
of this notification.

Article 17

This Treaty, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts
are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Depositary
Governments. Duly certified copies of this Treaty shall be transmitted by the
Depositary Governments to the Governments of the signatory and acceding States.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed this Treaty.

DONE in, at the cities of London, Moscow and Washington, the day of one thousand
nine hundred and